Showtime in overtime

PALATKA -- Micah Clukey went wide right -- then right down the middle of Palatka's district title hopes.

He made his point, and now the District 5-3A title and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs is in the bank.

No. 1 St. Augustine 35, No. 2 Palatka 34.

Clukey, who missed a 33-yard game-winning attempt with 8 seconds to play in regulation, punctuated an overtime touchdown pass from Willie Cooper to Cedrick McBurrows with a point-after kick to give the top-ranked Yellow Jackets a wild and memorable victory in front of a seat-busting crowd at Palatka.

The win gives SAHS (9-0, 5-0 in District 5-3A) the first unbeaten season since the 1954 team went 11-0-0.

Palatka (8-1, 4-1 in 5-3A) takes the district runner-up slot, despite running for more than 300 yards, and striking first in overtime.

The Panthers scored on a touchdown pass from Patrick Robinson to Tarvarres Williams, but Casey Smith missed the point-after try.

"The special way we came back just gives us something to build on for the playoffs," said SAHS coach Joey Wiles.

"That's how the game between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the state should be. Come down to the last play."

McBurrows and Cooper hooked up in the extra frame to set the table for Clukey's clincher.

"Awesome, terrific, just totally unbelievable," said Cooper, who kept SAHS breathing with two interceptions. "We made it when it counted."

On a second-and-goal from the Palatka 9, Cooper broke to his left and appeared like he was going to swing around on a bootleg before a heavy rush prevented it.

Cooper sidestepped a defender, backtracked a yard before parting the middle of the field with pass to McBurrows.

McBurrows (four catches, 96 yards) went airborne, plucking the pigskin out of the sky before crumbling to the ground with the game-tying points.

"Nothing was open at first, but Willie scanned the field and found me," McBurrows said.

"I just held on with all I could. I wasn't dropping that ball for the world."

After a perfect snap, the leather sailed through and SAHS had its first unbeaten regular season in nearly five decades.

"On the extra point, everything felt comfortable," Clukey said.

"We should've walked out at the end of regulation. But the guys came through, gave me another chance and some good came out of it."

How SAHS even had a chance to win in overtime seemed a stretch at best in game's opening minutes.

The Panthers drove the field on their first drive, getting a 20-yard scoring run by Kedric Wright to take a 7-0 lead just five minutes into the contest.

SAHS went three-and-out on its first drive in abysmal fashion, going backwards. Factor in a pair of penalties, and the Yellow Jackets lost 12 yards on its first drive.

Palatka, however, was razor-sharp. The Panthers tacked on their second touchdown just a minute into the second quarter, getting a five-yard run from Corey Young to help the lead swell to 14-0.

SAHS didn't fold.

After swapping kicks, the Yellow Jackets worked methodically down the grass, using chain-chewing runs by Taurean Johnson, McBurrows and Cooper to take the ball 60 yards in just under four minutes.

Cooper punctuated the five-play drive with a one-yard plunge to get SAHS on the board with 3:59 to play before the break.

Cooper's best hadn't even come out of the bottle yet.

On Palatka's ensuing drive, Cooper somehow twisted his way to a Patrick Robinson deflected pass and managed to grab it before it hit the ground at the Panthers' 36.

Cooper set up SAHS' tying touchdown on the Yellow Jackets' following drive, breaking off a 21-yard run that moved the chains to the 15. Ronnie McKnight split the middle of the field on the following snap, tying the contest at 14 with 2:30 to go before the break.

"If Willie Cooper isn't the best player in the state, I don't know who is," Wiles said. "He's intercepting passes on defense, running the option, throwing touchdowns."

The teams swapped points in the third quarter, Palatka using a three-yard run from Tarvarres Williams, and SAHS on an eight-yard scamper by McBurrows.

That set the table for a season-changing fourth.

Unable to muster any type of run defense all night, SAHS was again gouged by Wright (18 carries, 207 yards).

On an option pitch, Robinson rolled right before an influx of SAHS defenders closed on him.

He flipped it to Wright, who was already in stride down the sideline, and the elusive back went almost untouched from 62 yards away. Not to be outdone was the tandem of Cooper and McBurrows.

Having fumbled on the drive before to set up Palatka's touchdown, McBurrows atoned on the Yellow Jackets first play. McBurrows took a swing pass from Cooper and stretched a would-be 10-yard gain into a 63-yard blaze up the field, taking the ball to the Palatka 18.

Taurean Johnson took a handoff three plays later, slipped around the field before diving into the end zone to cap a 15-yard scoring run that knotted the game at 28 with 5:44 to go.

The Panthers had probably had their best chance to win on the ensuing drive, lopping three minutes off the clock with a string of running plays.

Palatka started at its own 20, and used the feet of backs Wright and Casey Smith to move down to the SAHS 24 with 2:07 to play.

Facing a third-and-8, Robinson's next pass was his worst. Looking for a screen and under a heavy rush, he tossed off his back foot and straight into Cooper's hands.

A 20-yard return gave the Yellow Jackets the ball near midfield, and SAHS pieced together one final drive to win in regulation.

Perhaps the biggest play on the drive came courtesy of the Panthers on a critical fourth-and-5.

On its own 49, SAHS set up to go for it. Cooper stayed under center and his cadence drew Palatka offsides. The drive continued, with Cooper spraying passes to receiver Kyle Forson along the sideline, and Johnson in the middle of the field. Chewing up yards and time, SAHS maneuvered to the 16 with 8 seconds left to set up Clukey's shot at the win. But kicking from the right hash, Clukey didn't get enough hook and his kick floated wide right.